updated 01:45 am EST, Mon December 5, 2011

We try Xbox 360 fall 2011 dashboard early

Microsoft is about to launch its Xbox 360 fall Dashboard update, and we've had the opportunity to use it early on our own system ahead of when it goes live December 6. The update is Microsoft's second major revamp in the Xbox 360's history and is geared around turning the Xbox 360 into a media hub. Read on for hands-on time and why it may be the definitive answer to the Apple TV.

The entire interface is based on the tiled look of Windows Phone 7 (and next year, Windows 8). This is both to put a new emphasis on apps but also to give Kinect users a way to control the entire interface: previously, they had to go to a special menu. It's a real help, although it's still slow and really best for when your hands are messy from popcorn. Voice commands are much better, now, and will recognize when you look for a specific TV episode or tell it to play a game in the DVD drive by name.

Even if you use a gamepad, though, it's quick to navigate by using the bumper buttons to jump between top-level sections. Most tasks aren't necessarily quicker, but we'd say they're less confusing to newcomers.

No matter where you live, a few features are persistent. Bing search lets you scour content that's not only on your Xbox but the various Marketplaces as well. Kinect works best for this by letting you search from anywhere in the system, but even if you have to use a gamepad, hitting a few characters will start producing live results. At that point, it's like Mac OS X's Spotlight -- or any web search with as-you-type results, for that matter.

Gamers will probably find the most help in Beacons. Instead of having to sit inside the game you want to play, you can set a Beacon for what you'd like to do and then launch whatever you'd like in the meantime. It's a simple addition in the Friends list, which itself has been revamped.

There's also a slight catch-up feature in cloud save games. You can now choose to move the data to Xbox Live instead of keeping it locally, which can be helpful if you regularly sign on to a friend's system or know your pre-slim Xbox is near its inevitable red ring death. It's useful, although it unfortunately only applies to saves after you get the update. You can't move your original Mass Effect save to the cloud unless you load it and save fresh.

Most of Microsoft's efforts have been put into the media features, and it shows. Special services like Netflix, Dailymotion, and YouTube weren't active when we tried and will only be partially live on December 6, but even ones like Netflix that had existed before will have had major remakes to go with the Metro-based interface. We'd add that there will also be a Windows Phone Xbox Companion app coming Tuesday that should act as a rough parallel to Apple's Remote for iOS, although the Microsoft app is better through its awareness of content; it's not just a button substitute.

Even with what was present during testing, though, it's apparent that much more thought has been given to the media side, and non-gaming apps in general. Going to the tiled presentation provides a better showcase for what's in the Zune Music or Zune Video Marketplaces, for example. We'd add that many parts of the OS will let you share if you're signed in, although we're not sure how many will post their most recent movie rental or trial game download to Facebook.

As of now, apps outside of games and video are largely limited to those that were in before the update, such as Facebook, Twitter, Kinect Fun Labs, and Video Kinect chat. Still, they now have their own dedicated section, and it's clear Microsoft envisions a point at which you're getting utilities that have very little if any connection to gaming.

The overall effect of the update does partly come across as Microsoft trying to shoehorn the Metro interface into the Xbox, but at the same time it comes across as finally turning the Xbox 360 into an "everything" device. It's not as flexible as something like the Boxee Box is, where a web browser and support for obscure media formats can catch most anything. However, once the video services are active, it could very well be a catch-all for mainstream sources: you can watch it live on Epix, HBO Go, or UFC, or watch it pre-recorded nearly anywhere else.

As for rivals? Some of Microsoft's support is admittedly niche -- not many will queue up Crackle or Dailymotion videos -- but it's honestly hard to recommend anything else on the TV for the everyday user, at least in North America. Apple TV is exceptional for AirPlay sharing and still has services Microsoft is missing, such as Vimeo, general Internet radio, and (naturally) iTunes. Without an app platform, though, it's hard to recommend unless you either stick to the most common video sources or want wireless video from your iPhone. Anyone who likes console gaming might as well get an Xbox 360 for now.

Confusing discussion of Companion app

Not sure what is meant by "…should act as a rough parallel to Apple's Remote for iOS, although the Microsoft app is better through its awareness of content; it's not just a button substitute."

Apple's Remote app (see http://www.apple.com/itunes/remote/) is certainly much more than a button substitute - it also has awareness of content, allows for direct searches and selection of that content from the associated iTunes library (including playlist selection), etc.

The Xbox implementation does look quite good - but there's no reason to falsely limit the competition.

Compared the the Xbox 360

and PS3, that AppleTV is c***. I suppose it does certain things well and the price is relatively cheap, but my PS3 and PS3 Media Server for Mac make a wonderful team for playing videos from my Mac and Elgato EyeTV. Apple needs to get on the damn ball and build some sort of decent gaming/media hub console. What is so difficult that Apple can't do such a simple thing to compete with Microsoft and Sony. At least the decent consoles have hard drives in them for storage and downloading if necessary. Apple needs to step up it's game but I know Apple just hates hard drives and is trying to do away with them.

Xbox 360 are junk

I got one as a gift a few years back and it has needed warranty repairs twice in limited use. Now, the third one is dying and warranty is over. Save yourself some money and time and buy something else. This POS is garbage and will fail.

Reality Check

And it will always sound like a turbine while it uses highly stressed IBM server chips that need cooling of vacuum cleaner proportions to try to compete with PS3 graphics quality. Its a dead end approach but Microsoft has invested too much into the concept to radically change it. To claim that Apple should try t mimic this stone age solution is laughable. That said Apple does need to start expanding the capability of AppleTV they do offer which is great in theory but remains too much in the realms of potential over actual delivery, especially outside of the US.

Come on

The Xbox 360 is an excellent console with great games and now an even better user experience. The whirring noise only occurs if the game is not installed, and if you like a game you will install it. Problem solved. The Xbox 360 Slim (what I own) is very stable, and although past renditions have been prone to red-ringing, Microsoft seems to have solved the issues with their latest console. Don't hate it just because it's Microsoft. h***, this is Microsoft's only good product (I don't think Ballmer has touched it yet).

comment title

The Microsoft UI is pretty, but when you try to use it...it gets old fast...then you become lost in a myriad of nested "stuff." Then you wonder where you are and wonder why you haven't found what you're looking for.